The present invention relates generally to interface devices for allowing humans to interface with computer systems, and more particularly to low-cost computer interface devices that allow the user to provide input to computer systems and allow computer systems to provide haptic feedback to the user.
A user can interact with an environment displayed by a computer to perform functions and tasks on the computer, such as playing a game, experiencing a simulation or virtual reality environment, using a computer aided design system, operating a graphical user interface (GUI), navigate web pages, etc. Common human-computer interface devices used for such interaction include a mouse, joystick, trackball, gamepad, steering wheel, stylus, tablet, pressure-sensitive sphere, or the like, that is connected to the computer system controlling the displayed environment. Typically, the computer updates the environment in response to the user""s manipulation of a physical manipulandum such as a joystick handle or mouse, and provides visual and audio feedback to the user. The computer senses the user""s manipulation of the user object through device sensors that send locative signals to the computer. In other applications, interface devices such as remote controls allow a user to interface with the functions of an electronic device or appliance.
In some interface devices, force (kinesthetic) feedback and/or tactile feedback is also provided to the user, more generally known collectively herein as xe2x80x9chaptic feedback.xe2x80x9d These types of interface devices can provide physical sensations which are felt by the user manipulating the interface device. One or more motors or other actuators are coupled to the housing or a manipulandum of the interface device, where the computer system directly or indirectly controls forces in conjunction and coordinated with displayed events and interactions by sending control signals or commands to the actuators. The computer system can thus convey physical force sensations to the user in conjunction with other supplied feedback as the user is grasping or contacting the interface device or manipulandum of the interface device.
One implementation for providing tactile feedback uses an inertial mechanism in the interface device to move an inertial mass, thereby providing inertial forces and sensations to the user contacting the interface device. Spinning mass actuator assemblies and linear-moving mass actuator assemblies, for example, can be used to provide inertial force sensations by creating forces with respect to the moving inertial mass. By moving the inertial mass with an actuator that is coupled to the housing of the computer peripheral, resultant forces are applied to the housing of the computer peripheral that are felt by the user. The intensity of the resultant force sensations is affected by relative size of the inertial mass as compared to the size/mass of the entire interface device. Thus, if the inertial mass is large and the rest of the interface device is very light, the resultant forces felt by the user are strong. Likewise, if the inertial mass is very small compared to the mass of the rest of the interface device, the resultant forces felt by the user will not be as strong. To reduce the production cost of the interface device, there is incentive to save power expended by the actuator and the size of the interface device; thus, there is an incentive to make the inertial mass as small as possible. However, it can be difficult to make the mass of the rest of the interface device small enough so that the forces resulting from a small mass are strong enough for compelling tactile feedback, due to other components required by the interface device that restrict how light the device can be made.
One component that may prevent an interface device from having a very low mass is a battery or other power storage element that supplies power to the device for its operation. Wireless interface devices, in particular, depend on one or more batteries to power the components of the interface device and to enable communication between the interface device and host computer or host processor. Power elements such as rechargeable batteries tend to be heavy compared to other standard device components, and add significant weight to the system. This added mass reduces the effectiveness of the inertial feedback actuator, as explained above, and creates a barrier to employing low-cost inertial haptic feedback in wireless computer peripherals, wireless handheld computers, and other interface devices having batteries or otherwise having an increased mass.
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for enhancing inertial tactile feedback in computer interface devices having an increased mass, such as wireless devices having the increased mass due to batteries or other power storage elements.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a haptic feedback control device in communication with a host computer implementing a host application program. The device. such as a gamepad or mouse, includes a housing that is physically contacted by the user, a sensor device that detects movement of a manipulandum or the housing and outputs sensor signals, an actuator that outputs an inertial force transmitted through said housing to said user, where the inertial force is generated by moving an inertial mass, and a power storage element is coupled to the housing and provides power to the actuator. The power storage element is inertially decoupled from the housing to reduce the mass of the haptic feedback device with respect to the inertial mass, thereby allowing stronger haptic sensations to be experienced by the user for a given size of the inertial mass.
In one embodiment, the power storage element is at least one battery that is coupled to the housing by a compliant layer or member. The compliant layer or member can be a layer of foam coupled between the battery and housing, a spring member, or other type of member. An attachment member can be coupled between layer and battery, where the battery may be detached from the attachment member by the user. In some embodiments, the sensor signals are provided to the host computer via wireless transmission, where the haptic feedback device receives information from the host via wireless reception. The wireless transmission and reception is implemented via radio signals. The inertial mass can be oscillated linearly or rotated.
In another embodiment, a haptic feedback device in communication with a host computer implementing a host application program. The device includes a housing contacted by the user, a sensor device detecting movement of a manipulandum or housing and outputting sensor signals, an actuator outputting an inertial force to the user contacting the housing by moving an inertial mass, and a component coupled to the housing by a compliant layer or member. The component is inertially decoupled from the housing to reduce the mass of the haptic feedback device with respect to the inertial mass, thereby allowing stronger haptic sensations to be experienced by the user. The component can be a power storage element or other type of component in the interface device. A method of the present invention for providing haptic feedback to a user of an interface device includes similar features.
The present invention advantageously provides a haptic feedback device having increased mass that provides inertial tactile sensations of minimally reduced strength to a user. Heavy components such as batteries are inertially decoupled from the interface device so that the mass of the heavy components does not significantly dampen the haptic sensations. This is especially advantageous to devices such as wireless interface devices, which require typically heavy batteries to provide power for their various functions.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following specification of the invention and a study of the several figures of the drawing.